Error control codes may be used in many applications, such as in error detection or correction for communication or data storage systems. For example, error control codes may be used to correct errors occurring in storage devices, such as in hard drives or NAND memories. Error control codes could also be used to detect or correct errors in data received across a noisy channel.
Attributes of error control codes, such as the type of error control code and an error control code's block length, can impact the coding gain and the complexity of the encoding and decoding implementation. One type of error control code is a Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) code. Another type of error code is a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code. The block length also impacts implementation complexity. For example, in an LDPC code, a larger block length results in increased encoding and decoding complexity.